Yes...what a labyrinth....1600 and some pages on the thread of recommended headphones....Sounds like skipping right to the Audez'e is logical, but costly...is it pretty much the place most will end up given the budget?

Well, it's such a matter of personal taste. And of course, comfort is a factor in a way unlike any other aspect of hifi. There are times when I much prefer my IEMs, for example, and the IEM aural experience is not at all like Audez'e, or my Senn 800s, etc. Some folks swear by the HiFiMan planars , but in the one time I tried a set at a HeadFi meet, I was meh. All I can say is that I am happier with the LCD-2 than any other can I have owned. They were as eye-opening and engaging as my very first Senn HD414 when I was a kid.

Hey thanks for the further explanations and pointers.... Yes the personal thing is sure real, but from my point of near total ignorance of what is around these days, especially from the point of view of died in the wool, audio head, headphone listeners, this helps!

will, your headphone choices are simplified by choosing the Taboo, which really is optimized for Magne-planar headphones (although some report good experiences with other low-impedance hps like Grado).

Magne-planar largely restricts you to Audez'e (LCD2, LCD3) or HiFiMan (but not the HE-6, which is a beast to drive and needs a speaker amp of 40W or more, reportedly).

Like many, many others I can vouch for the LCD2 as a terrific hp and a great match with the 'old' Taboo. It excels at communicating timbre and hence sounds outstandingly 'natural'. It plumbs the low-mids and bass regions with a depth, resolution and presence few other phones achieve. It's also sometimes described as an hp for speaker-lovers. Certainly, it was the first hp that got close to speakers for me.

However, there are other factors, like those Pale Rider mentioned. It is all about comfort and personal preference in the end.

Thanks AiDee! You are a trusted Head-fi'er and one of the reasons I ended up here at Decware. I did see a lot of flaming regarding the Beresford online. Strangely, no where did I see ANYONE that heard it say anything other than praise for its sound for the money. It is funny how people will write off something they have NEVER heard just because of a personality difference or because the price is too low. It seems Decware gets a lot of those same audio snobs in uproars because it's "too cheap" or "underpowered" to even be considered. I guess I always go my own direction, but I am pleased with my Decware decision.

@Landmantx: a DAC for what purpose and what budget? For laptop, desktop, or what? Dollar limit? I am not a Beresford fan, but not a flamer either. For a portable, musical solution good with laptops, the Meridian is quite nice. But a lot depends on your application.

My initial plan is to just play tunes off iTunes from my iMac over LCD 2 headphones. Over time, I plan to buy some speakers (Probably the ERR replacement if it ever comes). I really just want a neutral, yet musical DAC that will get me by. I really don't know that I could reliably pick a $2000 DAC from a $250 DAC in a blind test.

I did like the idea of a wireless DAC, but it adds so much to the cost that you might as well buy a Mac Mini for the bedside rig.

Who knows, I jumped on this amp before I had it all planned out and now I am working to get it all purchased prior to May when the Taboo gets here.

I considered the Meridian for it's size, but hesitated due to lack of inputs and outputs. I am sure it would work fine though.